For those of us living today in either the southern section of Otsego County or northern edge of Delaware County, we might have had a different county name if some had gotten their way in a few instances during the 19th century. That name would have been Susquehanna County.
Nowadays most of us give little thought if we need to do business with Otsego County government in Cooperstown. It's a short drive, but back in the early to mid-1800s, having to get to Cooperstown was a task that took most of a day or more to get to and from the Oneonta area. The same was true for those living in Delaware County to get to Delhi.
As early as 1823, 11 men of prominence petitioned the state Legislature to create a new town of Susquehanna, composed at that time of parts of the present towns of Milford and Davenport, to be part of Otsego County. The Town of Oneonta hadn't yet been formed, as it was still within sections of Milford and Otego. That effort didn't get far.
Once the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad reached Oneonta in 1865, thoughts of local residents along the line turned to having a new county seat, which to many meant the village of Oneonta. It was still a long journey to get to Cooperstown, and people grew tired of it. This was the first attempt to form a new Susquehanna County.
As read in The Oneonta Herald and Democrat of Wednesday, Feb. 6, 1867: "What we want and what we will have, sooner or later, is a new County on the line of the Railroad. Not that we love our Cooperstown friends and Northern brethren 'less,' but our own interests 'more.' So let all the towns interested, circulate petitions at once and let us have action taken in the matter by the present Legislature."
Nothing came of that 1867 proposal, or another bill introduced in the state Legislature in 1875. For example, the Herald and Democrat noted that the people in the town of Milford held a meeting in Portlandville during February 1867, petitioning the Legislature "to remove the county buildings to Colliersville," not Oneonta.
A closer call came in 1879 when an improved county courthouse was proposed, the one now standing in Cooperstown. Oneonta made an offer to build it without expense to any other town in the county and to become the county seat. Solon Huntington offered to give some land on today's Church Street.
From the "Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Otsego" of June 1879, a county Committee on the Court House said, "Therefore, we would respectfully recommend that your Honorable Body accept the offer made by the town of Oneonta, and erect such County buildings in that town, believing that the saving of the cost of said land and buildings will be a great benefit to the whole County at this time."
Henry G. Wood of Oneonta was half of this two-person committee, making the recommendation. Meanwhile, residents of the village of Cooperstown had donated $10,000 toward the more than $50,000 needed to build and keep the courthouse in Cooperstown. When it came time to vote, the county supervisors voted no to Oneonta's offer -- 20 to 3.
In what appeared to be another and final effort to part ways with Cooperstown, the formation of a new county was proposed during January 1887.
The Oneonta Herald reported, "The towns which it is proposed to incorporate in the new county are: Worcester, Decatur, Maryland, Oneonta, Otego, Laurens, Morris, Butternuts and Unadilla from Otsego and Sidney, Franklin and Davenport from Delaware.
"It is probable that a meeting will be held in Oneonta at an early day to consider seriously the project, when representative men from each of the towns named are expected to be present. In the meantime, The Herald will be glad to receive brief communications bearing upon the subject from any of the towns."
There were plenty of letters printed in subsequent editions, for and against a new county. An examination of later editions never mentioned a meeting of representatives to act on the formation, suggesting the idea was abandoned. Other newspapers called the idea wasteful.
The Cherry Valley Gazette said of the current arrangement with Cooperstown as the county seat, "Good county buildings have been erected, a railroad has been built connecting Cooperstown with the Albany and Susquehanna, thus making it easily accessible to the towns which formerly desired a separation."
On Monday: 1962 was a big year for new motels in Oneonta.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
Mark Simonson
Proposed new Susquehanna County never caught on in 19th century
- Mark Simonson
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
It has been just a little over 30 years, 1980 in fact, that Main Street in Oneonta went through a major transformation in appearance. Even now I'll hear mixed comments about the changes, which included antique style lamps, trees, planters and brick trim. Some liked the changes while others liked the wider street with the even-sized sidewalks.
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Perfect attendance by Saturday’s Bread for 20 years in Oneonta
Oneonta became a settlement and has been a place to do one's "trading," whether it was the 18th century, or 2012, because of the five valleys that converge here. Only the places of doing the "trading" have changed a bit over the last 100 years, and Oneonta remains a place that attracts visitors and has always been a decent place to live and work.
100 Years Ago -
Recalling the Hindenburg, John D. Rockefeller in May 1937
A young person of 75 years ago may still recall where they were or what they were doing in the month of May, as two big news events took place. They were the Hindenburg disaster and the passing of billionaire John D. Rockefeller. There were some local connections with both news items.
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Oneonta residents had diversions aplenty in the spring of 1952
It is always good to keep up with current events. However, it is starting to become an unwritten requirement to seek some diversions from staying up to date on news, as for some it can become overwhelming or depressing.
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Damaschke essential to ensuring Oneonta baseball in 1927
Oftentimes, in the distant past, the place you worked for became a social nucleus in the village or town. Employees at large companies such as Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co. or IBM in the Binghamton area took part in activities after work such as sports, music and theater, both in and out of town, to represent their company.
- Monday, May 7, 2012
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Area tunes to WONT in November 1972
As a youngster growing up in the area and having a fascination with radio broadcasting, I used to consider it a part-time hobby to put the earphone into my transistor radio and go exploring what was out there to listen to, up and down the dial. It was indeed a long-distance journey at night when listening to AM radio, as you could hear live and locally staffed stations from Chicago, Windsor/Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans, to name a few cities. I never spent a lot of time listening to FM radio 40 years ago, simply because there wasn't the same "excitement" of the long-distance journey. Little did I realize, things were changing locally on that "other" band of radio frequencies that included decimal points.
- Saturday, May 5, 2012
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Congressman Fairchild added downtown growth in 1912
Another case of wandering imagination struck this historian recently, while learning about the building at 244-248 Main St. in Oneonta, storefronts for the Autumn Café and Razzle Dazzle. This structure is known as the Fairchild block, and it turns 100 this year.
- Monday, April 30, 2012
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From no TV to saving eagles, it was life in April 1982
No television. No place to pay the phone bill. No more Spaulding's baked goods. Possibly no more Center Street School. While these were some of the noes in the news of our area in April 1982, there were some yeses as well, including a new structure at Corning Inc. of Oneonta and help to save bald eagles.
- Saturday, April 28, 2012
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A daily newspaper for Oneonta was an achievement in 1887
Depending on the electronic device you have these days, accessing news can be made nearly as soon as something happens. Oneontans of 125 years ago got their news on a weekly basis, courtesy of The Oneonta Herald.
- Monday, April 23, 2012
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Area saw Hollywood stars up close in April 1952
It has been a mighty long time since Greer Garson, Victor Jory, Don Taylor and Audrey Totter drew big numbers of people at the box office of our local movie theaters. Make it 60 years, in fact. Now generations removed from popularity, some are still able to remember the names of these four movie stars who paid a visit to our area in late April 1952.
- Saturday, April 21, 2012
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Spring tree plantings were numerous in 1927
None of my calendars at home or at my other workplaces show that April 27 of this year is Arbor Day.
- Monday, April 16, 2012
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Nuclear weapon debates were plentiful in April 1982
Plan for a nuclear war -- or seek a nuclear weapons freeze. That was a frequent debate going on in our region during the month of April 1982.
- Saturday, April 14, 2012
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A Titanic survivor stopped in Oneonta days after disaster
Edward Bean was one amongst the lucky one-third of the passengers aboard the Titanic who lived to tell about the disaster of the ill-fated ship that sank after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912. Only about a week after the disaster, Bean was in Oneonta, on his way home to Cincinnati.
- Monday, April 9, 2012
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Simonson: April 1952 brought educational developments in Oneonta
There were some interesting new developments in education in Oneonta during the month of April 1952. These took place in the public and private schools, as well as on the Hartwick College campus.
- Saturday, April 7, 2012
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Oneonta's first automobile exhibition took place in April 1917
An automobile show as large as those in Albany or Utica. That was the heady claim of the organizers of Oneonta's first such show, set for early April 1917.
- Monday, April 2, 2012
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Thruway bridge collapsed 25 years ago into Schoharie Creek
I had just started my evening music shift at a Binghamton radio station on Sunday evening, April 5, 1987, with a network newscast at the top of the hour.
- Saturday, March 31, 2012
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Oneonta responded to declaration of World War I
"President Asks For War."
- Monday, March 26, 2012
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Devastating fire, loss in sports status, education made major area news in March 1982
A fire destroyed a foundry in Morris, Hartwick College basketball dropped a division level, two schools considered a merger, and a local Odyssey of the Mind was born. These news items and more made for a busy month in March 1982.
- Saturday, March 24, 2012
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Useful advice for farmers came to the area in 1912
It is practically a rite of autumn for high school students, or college students looking to transfer to a different college.
- Monday, March 19, 2012
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St. Mary's Church of Oneonta dedicated 55 years ago
"With solemn, historic pageantry, the Most Rev. William A. Scully, bishop of Albany, yesterday dedicated the new St. Mary's Church."
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
